On Johnny Cake Ridge Road in Apple Valley, Minnesota, Christ Church has made its home as a self-described "kingdom family" - a community of faith that worships together, takes the Bible as its anchor, and aims to demonstrate the love of God to neighbors near and far. The congregation gathers for worship on Sunday mornings and again throughout the week in small groups, with a parallel bilingual service and a Wednesday night youth gathering sharing the same building.
Sunday Mornings at Ten
The Sunday service begins at 10 am and runs both in person and on YouTube. Members of the church lead the room in a mix of contemporary Christian music and hymns before moving into the teaching portion of the morning. Children stay with their parents for the worship time and are then invited downstairs for Sunday School during the sermon; the nursery is open for children from birth through age three for the full service. Visitors are told they will be comfortable in anything from jeans to business casual.
Iglesia de Cristo at Noon
At noon the building fills again for Iglesia de Cristo, the church's bilingual sister service that worships and teaches in both Spanish and English. Children's Sunday School is offered during the sermon here as it is at the morning service. The Iglesia de Cristo team is led by Pastor Principal Ozzie Porras and Pastor Asociado Walter Andrade, with Sandra Porras overseeing the children's ministry, Leticia Arriaza the women's ministry, and Tamara McDonough leading worship. The congregation keeps its own Facebook page under IDCRISTOMN and gathers on Instagram as @iglesiadecristomn.
A 2 pm Gathering
A third Sunday service, called United Nations Church, meets at 2 pm and rounds out a full day of worship and teaching under one roof on Johnny Cake Ridge Road.
Generation Church on Wednesday Nights
Sixth graders and older are invited to Generation Church on Wednesday evenings at 7 pm. A typical Wednesday combines teaching, worship, and small "Chair Groups," giving youth a midweek touchpoint that mirrors the rhythm of the Sunday service. The ministry is pastored by Cal Mader.
Children from Crib to Fifth Grade
Children's ministry, branded CcKids, runs in parallel with the Sunday service. After worshipping with their families, children ages three through fifth grade head downstairs for age-appropriate teaching, worship, and games. The nursery is staffed during the sermon for the youngest children, and the room is cleaned and sanitized each week before use. Families who prefer to stay together throughout the service can pick up a sanitized activity bucket. Children's Pastors Alyssa Childs and Jenn Weinstein oversee the ministry.
Men, Women, and the Sixty-Plus Crowd
Adult ministry at Christ Church is built around smaller gatherings rather than large programs. Men's ministry focuses on fellowship, accountability, service projects, breakfasts and cook-outs, teaching, and shared time together. A women's ministry is led separately, with its own email contact for those wanting to get involved. A monthly lunch for those 60 and older follows the Sunday service on the first Sunday of each month.
Small Groups Around the Building
Small groups meet at various rhythms across the week. The Foundry gathers the first three Fridays of each month at the church with childcare provided. Coffee Grounds is a men's gathering that meets Monday mornings at 9 am for coffee, fellowship, and work around the church property. The church invites newcomers to simply join one.
CLIMB: A Bible Certificate Program
One of the more distinctive ministries at Christ Church is CLIMB School, a phased Bible curriculum that can be taken for credit toward a Biblical Certificate or audited free of charge. Classes meet bi-weekly on Saturdays from 9 am to noon in the Big Room downstairs and include courses such as Knowing God I, Redemption and Salvation, The Gospel and the Kingdom, Christian Character, Prayer and Fasting, The Great Commission, and Evangelism. A Spiritual Warfare course is on the schedule for Fall 2026. The program is affiliated with climbchoolinternational.org and is taught by instructors like Mark Simons, who holds a B.A. in Biblical Studies and an M.A. in Theological Studies from the University of Northwestern - St. Paul and studied at Jerusalem University College.
Mission Trips Across Continents
Christ Church has sent medical teams, supplies, and volunteers into some of the most remote regions on earth, including Costa Rica, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Cuba, Zambia, Argentina, Russia, Mexico, Alaska, Tennessee, India, Bolivia, Puerto Rico, and Colombia. Mission teams have included doctors, nurses, students, and adult volunteers working together to demonstrate the good news of Jesus Christ.
Community and Ministry Partners
Christ Church maintains a network of partner organizations that share its heart for service, including 360 Communities, Food for the Poor, Amnion Pregnancy Center, Compassion International, The Trafficking Justice Project, The Drawer, and CLIMB School International.
What Christ Church Believes
The church describes itself as followers of Jesus who hold that humanity has a broken relationship with its Creator, and that God made a way through Jesus Christ. Salvation is understood as the unearned gift of God received by trusting in Christ alone, grounded in Romans 10:9: "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." The Bible is taken as the authoritative guide for restoring every relationship.
Pastoral Team and Affiliation
The pastoral team is led by Senior Pastor Joshua Mitchell, working alongside a council of elders: Pablo Montanez, Cal Mader, Lumumba Samuels, Jeff Enfield, Alec Johnson, and Mark Simons. Christ Church is a member of the Connect Fellowship of Churches, a relational network of congregations committed to friendship, accountability, and shared mission, and through that network is linked to ministry partners around the world.
Giving and Staying Connected
Online giving is set up through Tithe.ly, with the option to make gifts recurring. Sermon notes are posted on a sermon blog, and past services, shorts, and worship videos live on the church's YouTube channel. Visitors with questions can email the office at office@christchurchmn.org or call 952-432-8855.